3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' pivotal Game 3 win over Thunder

The Dallas Mavericks' streak of losing Game 1s continued into the Oklahoma City series, and some Mavericks fans were frightened by the result of the opening game.

Luka Doncic wasn't himself, the Thunder couldn't miss from downtown, and the Mavs offense had no rhythm. This was less than an ideal start to the series, but the Mavs have answered with two wins.

Dallas responded in Game 2 with a 119-110 win and then with a 105-101 win in Game 3.

3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' pivotal Game 3 win over Thunder

This series became so much more physical in Game 3, and the American Airlines Center was rocking all game long. This game was filled with questionable calls going both ways, back-and-forth action, and plenty of drama until the final buzzer.

Fans were on the edge of their seats all game long, and the Mavs pulled through in the fourth quarter to help earn the big Game 3 win.

Here are three studs and two duds from a wild Mavericks win in Game 3.

5. Stud - Luka Doncic

In this series against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dallas Mavericks fans haven't gotten to see a vintage Luka Doncic game yet. He continues to battle his concerning knee injury, and although he's hobbled, he is making his impact felt.

Doncic finished with 22 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, and two steals while shooting 7-17 from the field and 1-4 from downtown. He isn't getting the same lift that he usually does on his jump shot, but he was battling down low all game with Lu Dort.

Mark Daigneault confidently assigned Dort to guard Doncic before the series started, and both players have had their moments in this series. Doncic backed down Dort several times and scored at the rim in the win, and he never backed away from this matchup.

After the game, Kyrie Irving talked about how he and the team told Doncic to continue to attack this matchup, and that's exactly what he did in this game.

Doncic's leadership and offensive assertiveness in this game helped the Mavs earn the win, and it'll be scary hours once he can put together an efficient all-around game and recover from his knee injury.